The Great Flood
by BluebottleFlyer
Summary: The Ant Island colony is plunged into danger when torrential rains hit, and Flik and Dot end up as two of the storm's casualties. Can they survive the storm, and can Princess Atta find them before it's too late?
1. Anthill Morning

**Chapter 1 - Anthill Morning**

The faint but distinctive sounds of crickets chirping could be heard from within the many stalks of green grass, illuminated by the massive light from the sun. Through the stalks of grass, the tiny pattering of footsteps - a large number of footsteps as it happened - was also audible. Scampering around the soil ground intertwined with the stalks were ants, collecting food from the taller stalks belonging to flowers by climbing up them and grabbing berries, nuts and whatever else was there. However, some of the ants were also using a kind of device, a 'food harvester', to speed up the process of collecting the food by chopping down the stalks.

A long line of walking ants protruded from the area of grass and stalks, all heading in the direction of a large patch of barren ground. On the edge of that patch was what appeared to be a kind of altar made from twigs and leaves. The ants were taking the food to the 'altar' and storing it there. Obviously the food was their overall supply being stored for the coming rainy season.

Standing just below the 'altar' was a small group of dignified-looking ants, overseeing the progress of the line of ants. One of the ants, a female with a purple shade of skin, also sporting a crown made out of reeds on her head, surveyed the movement of the line.

"Whew…so far so good," she smiled, noticing nothing wrong.

"Of course," replied another gravelly female voice, "we should have a good stack of food in no time. And it's all thanks to you, Atta…or should I say Your Majesty?"

Atta looked at her mother, who had just spoken, with another smile. "Oh, titles are all well and good, Mom, but a little bit of informality wouldn't go amiss…"

Atta's mom gave a hearty laugh. "Sure! You do run this place, after all."

_Yeah, thank you for the zillionth time, Mom,_ thought Atta sarcastically to herself. Ever since her mom handed down the title of Queen of Ant Island to her, she'd just felt a bit irked every time someone mentioned she was the leader. 'The One.' 'The Boss.' Sure, Atta enjoyed being in charge, but most of the time she felt just a bit too special, like everything was a big event, with everyone making a fuss of her. She missed the normality of life on Ant Island.

"Hey! Queen Atta!"

That familiar voice instantly perked Atta up. The one voice that kept her feeling that everything was still down-to-earth.

"Hey, Flik! Everything OK?"

Running up to the 'altar', clad in one of the harvesters, which he invented, Flik gave Atta a confident, reassuring smile.

"Just fine! We're gonna be shipshape for that rain season for sure!"

Atta smiled back. "Great! Shall we meet up tonight to celebrate?"

Flik blushed a little, thinking that just about the whole of the colony might have probably heard that. "Uh…sure! Anything for you, Atta…"

Promptly, the nerdy blue ant blew the queen/love of his life a kiss, much to Atta's delight and the amusement of Atta's council. Then, he headed back towards the stalks to continue gathering food.

"I never thought I would say this ever in my life," chimed in Thorny, one of the council members, "but you and Flik seem…well…made for each other, Your Majesty…"

"Yes, made for each other, Your Majesty," repeated the elderly Cornelius.

"Maybe you should settle down with him, dear," suggested the former Queen, "not just because he's a hero, because he is a genuinely nice boy."

Atta sighed, the council were just stating the obvious. She felt incredible love for Flik, and they had been an item since his well known heroics in vanquishing the presence of the colony's deadly enemies the grasshoppers long ago. But total commitment with Flik was a nagging doubt. Focusing her attention back on the line of ants, she was suddenly startled by the sounding of a horn.

"Uh-oh…" she said, slightly worried, "please don't tell me we have trouble…"

"It's OK, Your Highness," reassured the resident Dr. Flora, "we just have visitors."

"Ah, the old warning system…" reminisced the ant next to the Doctor, Mr. Soil, "it's not easy to forget that we don't have to worry about certain insects anymore…"

The whole council nodded and exclaimed in total agreement with the latter. Then a familiar buzzing sound could be heard in the air. Instantly, the ants carrying the food looked up, initially in surprise, but then relaxed as they realised who their visitors were.

Flik instantly jumped up in excitement. "Oh yeah! They're here!"

From the distance, a group of insects, comprising of a rhino beetle, a ladybug, a praying mantis and a butterfly flew into view. Sitting atop the rhino beetle's back were two pill bugs and a black widow spider. The ladybug and praying mantis were carrying a very weighty caterpillar, while the butterfly carried a stick insect.

The ants quickly cleared a space for the group to land in, while at the same time they continued to get food onto the 'altar'. Then the visitors descended from the sky and landed on the ground, waving to the ants to signal their arrival.

The council came down to greet the visitors. "Welcome…again," greeted Atta with a smile.

"Nice to see you again," replied the stick insect, "I can see the place hasn't changed much…"

"Just as well, Slim," quipped the black widow spider, going by the name of Rosie, "we couldn't think of it in any other way."

Just then, Flik, ditching his harvester, came running up to the group of bugs with a big grin on his face.

"Long time no see, huh?" he beamed, "how is circus life?"

"Never better," replied the ladybug, "can't believe that we don't stink at this business now…"

"Uh-huh, Francis," chimed in Rosie, "wish we could say the same for P.T. He really needs to think of a new act. People aren't gonna go wild for 'Flaming Death' forever."

The group nodded in agreement. 'P.T.' was P.T. Flea, the boss of their circus, and boy did he work them hard. By accident, the routine known as 'Flaming Death' had become a hit for the circus, and they were in great demand.

"Glad you could come," said Flik, "it's lucky you get any breaks at all…"

"Too right," quipped Francis, "P.T. wouldn't know employee satisfaction even if it was applied with a sledgehammer."

"Yes," agreed the praying mantis, better known as Mantos the Magnificent, or 'Manny' for short, "one's ego can do so much damage…"

Manny's wife, the butterfly, going by the name of Gypsy, surveyed the 'altar', now crammed full of nutrients. "I see you've almost gathered your supplies for the rains."

"That's right," confirmed Atta, "tough job, but we ants are made of tough brains. Not forgetting you guys of course." She gave a little chuckle.

Meanwhile, Thorny was taking down the line numbers, when he suddenly noticed something wrong.

"Uh, Your Highness?" he called to Atta, "I think we're missing someone…"

Atta rushed over and checked Thorny's notes, then the line. "You're right…someone to go and check down the line please?"

Immediately Flik volunteered. "Ready and able, Your Majesty!"

Atta grinned. "Thanks, Flik."

Then Flik looked at the rhino beetle. "Could I have a ride, please Dim?"

Dim gave a grin, signalling a 'yes'. At once Flik hopped onto Dim's back. Also accompanying him were the two pill bugs.

"Hey there, Tuck. You too, Roll," said Flik, greeting the two bugs, although he knew they wouldn't understand a word he was saying, as they didn't speak English.

Tuck and Roll gave Flik a couple of smiles, then spouted some words in their native tongue, before they suddenly disagreed on something and started yelling at each other. Sighing, Flik motioned them to stop, and at once they did.

"You never change, guys…"

Then, Dim's wings started buzzing, and he lifted off into the air, with Flik, Tuck and Roll waving at everyone below.

"Be back before you can say 'daddy long legs'!" called out Flik as he was carried into the distance by Dim.

* * *

Small fragments of rock crunched under his feet as he stumbled along through the 'wood' of grass towering above him. Putting his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun's glare, his breathing was becoming strained and gasping.

Somehow, this solitary grey-skinned ant had managed to become separated from the line, and was now hopelessly lost within the vast forest of stalks and grass.

_I only stopped for a second…just for a breather…_ he thought to himself, now more panicked than he had been before. He'd already tried yelling for help, to no avail

Sweat pouring from his head, the lost ant collapsed down against a big grey rock to try and recuperate and get his bearings. Getting lost was just one the worst predicaments that could happen to an ant.

Suddenly, the ant felt something sticky around his feet. In horror, he looked down and saw that his feet were sinking into the ground.

_Quicksoil…oh, no…I don't wanna go like this…_

Giving a yell, the ant frantically tried to pull his feet out of the deadly trap, but failed. The quicksoil was swallowing him speedily, he was now knee deep.

In desperation, he started yelling for help, his yells getting more panicky and louder as the quicksoil reached his waist.

Above in the air, Dim was making a sweep of the area, while Flik, Tuck and Roll kept a lookout.

"Man, I hate it when someone gets lost…" mused Flik.

"Lost…oooh…" quipped Tuck and Roll, with just one of the few English words they could understand.

"Scary," said Dim, agreeing flat-out, "Dim hopes we'll find lost ant."

Suddenly, Flik perked up, hearing a faint sound. It sounded like someone yelling for help. Tuck, Roll and Dim also heard it.

"Let's go down low, guys," said Flik, "if that sound gets closer we're heading in the right direction."

Instantly, Dim lowered altitude until he was down in the forest of grass. Sure enough, as he flew along, the sound got less faint. Flik pulled out a self-made telescope, fashioned from a leaf and a glass marble and looked through it, scanning the distance. He suddenly gasped in horror as he caught sight of the lost ant stuck in the quicksoil.

"Oh no, not quicksoil! Hurry, Dim!"

At once Dim picked up more speed and flew over to the quicksoil pit and came to a stop, hovering above the terrified ant.

"Help me!!!" screamed the ant, who was now almost neck deep in the quicksoil.

"Lower me down!" ordered Flik to Dim. Flik then climbed down onto Dim's legs while Dim lowered himself down just close enough so Flik could reach the trapped ant.

"Grab my hand!" called out Flik, reaching out his own hand.

The ant still had both arms above the quicksoil, so, gritting his teeth, he reached out his hands. With some difficulty, Flik managed to grab onto the ant's hands.

"Now, Dim!" he called out, "pull us up! We're almost out of time!"

At once, Dim raised altitude, Flik maintaining his grip on the ant. As Dim moved upwards, the ant rose up from out of the quicksoil, his body covered in the stuff. Suddenly, one of the ant's arms slipped from Flik, and he almost fell back into the pit.

"Aaagghh! No!" cried the ant in terror.

"Hold on buddy! We're almost there!" reassured Flik, keeping a tight grip on the ant's other hand.

In a few seconds, the ant was completely clear of the quicksoil. Flik, Tuck and Roll helped him up onto Dim's back.

"You OK, buddy?" asked Flik of the rescuee, followed by simultaneous "OK"s from Tuck and Roll.

"I'm fine," replied the ant, wiping his brow and sighing in relief, "thanks a million, Flik. Big up to you bugs too."

"No problem, Mr. Ant," replied Dim, "Dim take you back to tree now."

"Just what I was about to say, Dim," grinned Flik, "let's go…everyone will be waiting for us."

With that, Dim flew out of the grass forest and back towards the large tree in the middle of Ant Island.

* * *

With the sun now very low in the sky, and darkness setting in, the pile of food on the 'altar' had now become more taller than before. Food was still being carried to the pile, and the colony looked set on reaching their self-set deadline of sunset.

However, instead of feeling pleased with the amount of food collected, Atta was worried. Not about the food, but the fact that Flik hadn't returned from his patrol.

"He's been gone over an hour now…" she fretted to her mother, "something's happened, I just know it!"

"Calm down, dear," coaxed the former Queen, "jumping to conclusions is a bad idea."

"I know," replied Atta, "but surely he would've found that missing guy now…"

"…and maybe that ant is hurt, and they're treating to him as we speak," interrupted Atta's mom, "whatever's happening, Flik'll know what he's doing."

Suddenly, they were interrupted by the shrill cries of a small pink-skinned ant, who came running up to them.

"Mom! Atta! It's Flik, he's back!"

"Thanks, Dot," replied the elderly ex-Queen, giving a knowing glance at Atta. The worrysome Ant Queen just gave a sigh.

Then the familiar sound of Dim's buzzing wings could be heard as he landed down by the 'altar', with Flik, Tuck and Roll and the rescued ant on his back. A cheer went up from some of the ants still carrying food along.

"Thanks, guys," beamed Atta, "what happened out there?"

"Just three words, Princess," replied Flik, "lost ant and quicksoil."

Atta gave a small laugh. "I've got the picture."

She then turned to the rescuee ant. "Looks like you had quite a scare, uh…"

"It's Acorn," answered the ant, "I don't know, I only took a breather for a minute…and as for that quicksoil…I don't want to experience that again anytime soon…"

"Well, you're in the company of a club that feels exactly the same," quipped Flik, shaking hands with Acorn.

The horn was suddenly sounded again, to signal stoppage time for the food collection, and almost immediately cheers went up from the colony and could be heard all over Ant Island, both over ground and underground.

"Looks like this calls for a double celebration," grinned Atta, "we've got our food supply ready just in time."

She then headed towards the giant tree which towered over the 'altar', and quickly climbed up the trunk to a branch, where the signal horn was situated, and talked into it so that the entire colony could hear her.

"Great job, everyone! Thank you!"

With that, the thousands of ants that made up the colony, talking and chattering, made their way down into their underground habitat below the giant tree. After all that hard work during the day, it was time to kick back, relax and grab forty winks.

Flik, Atta, Dim and the pill bugs and the council were the last to make their way down below.

"Ah…isn't it just so satisfying when everything is finally done?" sighed Atta contendly, "the food's all stored safe for the rains, everyone's happy…"

"…and you handled it smoothly," finished Flik, presenting his beau with a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you," replied Atta sweetly, returning the compliment, "and thank you for coming back safely, too."

"Atta…you shouldn't worry about me so much," sighed Flik, "I know it stinks when we're apart, but I can promise you that whenever I go off somewhere, I'll come back in one piece. Period."

Atta smiled. "Good…because I can't imagine life without you, Flik."

The duo then stopped walking and just gave each other a long, loving stare. Atta just felt at peace with Flik by her side. She wished she could talk with him every day and night. It was no surprise that Flik felt the same way. They were in love, after all…

Snapping out of their romantic trance, the duo headed down the long winding path to the many chambers that made up the ants' home in order to turn in for the night.


	2. Disaster Strikes

**Chapter 2 - Disaster Strikes**

The breeze blew against Flik has he hopped and jumped across the huge flower heads. In the distance he could see the sun, shining with a brilliant radiance, more brilliant than he'd ever known before.

"Flik!"

The sound of that voice, that sweet voice, brought a huge grin to the inventor ant's face. Stretching out his arms, he kept on hopping across the flowers, striding in the direction of his true love.

"Atta!"

The two ants joined together in a warm, loving embrace, clutching each other very tightly, not wanting to let go.

"Oh, Atta…I want this moment to last forever…"

"Flik…?"

"Atta…"

"Flik…wake up…"

"Huh?"

The dreamy vision of Atta in his arms dissipated, and instead became a blurred vision of someone's face, slowly focussing into view.

"Flik…wake up, sleepyhead…"

Rubbing his eyes, Flik saw that the face was none other than Atta herself. Knowing that, he gave a satisfied grin.

"Sorry, my sweet…" he said, his voice drawled with tiredness, "force of habit…"

"It's OK," cooed Atta, "must be hard to stop having sweet dreams."

"Especially if they're about you," smiled Flik, giving Atta another kiss, then getting out of his leaf-structured bed.

Atta giggled. "Well, I guess I'd better get going. Council meeting."

"A Queen's work is never done," quipped Flik, "I'll meet you outside when it's done."

"Sure," agreed Atta, blowing Flik a kiss, "love you…"

Atta then left the room, with Flik staring as she did. Then he too left the room, singing cheerily to himself.

* * *

"…poor thing, his wings were hurting so bad. It's a good thing Flik and Miss Flora were around to help him…"

"Aw man, that's cool, Dot."

"_Ja!_"

"Jolly good show…"

The young princess, next in line to the throne, Dot, was recounting a time when a stricken bee named Zeke had crash-landed on Ant Island, miles from his hive home, and the circus bugs were listening in fascination.

"Then we let Zeke stay for the night, _and _help him find his way back to his hive, he was ever so grateful…he came back to visit us just last week, and he said the other bees at his hive want to come see us too," continued Dot.

"You wanna be careful with bees," advised Francis, speaking from past experience, "they're not all as cool as that Zeke…I found that out the hard way…"

The caterpillar, better known as Heimlich, giggled and spoke in his German tongue, while munching on a berry. "_Ja_…that night outside the circus tent…remember what everyone called you for days after that?"

Francis abruptly motioned to Heimlich to _button it._ Unfortunately, he was too late.

"I remember!" exclaimed Slim, breaking out into laughter, "poor old _Thornbutt_…"

The whole group, bar Francis, tried to stifle their laughter, but inevitably failed.

Francis' response was to blush and shake his head in embarrassment. "Me and my big mouth…"

Changing the subject, Dot suddenly remembered about something special. "Oh yeah, that's right…Flik's helping to build a boat."

"A boat?" said Rosie excitedly, "cool! I get first dibs on it…"

"Actually," interrupted Slim, "I don't think it's just for rides, Rosie…it must be for emergencies…as in the rain…"

"That's what else I forgot to say," grinned Dot, "it'll make things easier…"

"Where is this boat?" inquired Manny, "I wouldn't mind taking a look at it…"

"I think you're speaking for all of us there, Manny," quipped Francis.

Dot stroked her chin, trying to think of where the boat was. "Mmm…I think I heard Atta say it was on the edge of the island somewhere…want to come look with me?"

"What do you think?" replied Francis with a grin, "let's get goin'… lead the way, Princess…"

"OK," smiled Dot, then walked off towards the tree, with the circus bugs following behind.

* * *

"OK, that twig can go there…careful now…"

Yet another brown twig was placed into position inside the frame of the half-built boat. Construction was well on schedule, and the ants working on it were scampering back and forth the 'construction yard', collecting twigs and leaves for the boat.

The boat itself was on the ground, surrounded with scaffolding, also made from twigs and leaves. It had been decided to build the boat at the edge of the island, so it could be stored there and, if the enormous canyon below was flooded, it could be easily released into the flood water if any ants were unfortunate to fall from the island.

It was no surprise that the boat was partly designed by Flik, who was there overseeing and helping with the construction.

"Another couple of hours and it should be finished," he said to Thorny, who was also looking on.

"Yeah," agreed Thorny, "she's lookin' good. We'll have to take her out for a test ride once she's finished though."

Flik nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Better safe than sorry…"

At that point, Dot and the circus bugs arrived, making their way down the steep path to the boat.

"Found you!" giggled the young princess, "how's it goin'?"

"Oh, hi Dot, hi guys," greeted Flik, "it's going great so far. Want to see?"

Dot and the circus bugs looked at the boat in its current state. The reactions were mixed.

"It's gonna be great!" exclaimed Dot, "please let me go on it when it's finished!"

"We'll see," grinned Flik.

Manny was unimpressed, as was Gypsy. "I can't picture it as seaworthy somehow…sorry, Flik."

"I hope it can hold me…" commented Heimlich.

"Maybe when it's finished we could hold a circus show on it…it is big enough," suggested Slim.

"Yeah, maybe…" replied Flik, "although it's only supposed to be for emergencies."

Then, there was another arrival. Instantly, Flik recognised it as Acorn, the ant he had rescued the previous day.

"Hey there!" greeted Flik, giving Acorn a thumbs up, "how are you today?"

"Fine, thanks!" beamed Acorn, "that boat's coming on great…but that's not the only reason I've come here…somebody wants to see you…"

"OK…" acknowledged Flik. It didn't take long for him to realise who Acorn was referring to.

With a yell, Flik quickly made an exit. "Sorry, everyone, I gotta be somewhere right now…check ya later…"

The others waved to him and smiled knowingly. They'd already guessed why Flik was in a sudden panic.

Thorny sighed. "Sure, Flik's ideas are miles better than in the past, but he's still a little forgetful…"

Francis nodded. "I second that…"

* * *

Standing outside the entrance to the anthill, Atta tapped her foot impatiently.

_Where is he?_ _He promised…_

Realising that she was being way too critical of Flik, she decided to leave the arranged meeting place and go and find Flik herself. She did feel bitter that Flik had failed to show, but even more bitter that maybe she'd asked too much of him.

"Hey…are you OK, dear?" came the tones of Atta's mom.

"Not now, Mom…" came Atta's reply.

The former Queen smiled. "I can guess what's up, dear…everyone's busy in their own way, especially Flik…"

"I know," sighed Atta, "maybe I'm just being too selfish, expecting him to be there all the time. I feel like I've got him on a rein, that's not how it's supposed to be."

"Well, yeah. You are just being a little tight with him, dear," advised Atta's mom, "just take it easy."

Atta gave a smile. "Thanks, Mom…I'll try…by the way, have you been to see the boat yet?"

"No, I haven't, as a matter of fact," came the reply, "you know, that's probably where Flik is right now…"

"That's great," exclaimed Atta, "I'll get over there right now, care to join me?"

"Absolutely, dear," replied Atta's mom, but then something stopped her short. She looked into the sky to see that the sun was now covered over with clouds, and that the clouds were quite grey and dark.

"Aren't you coming, Mom?" asked Atta, failing to notice the clouds.

"Atta…look…" said the ex-Queen, pointing up at the sky, "this isn't good."

Atta then looked up and saw that the weather was changing for the worse. "You have got to be kidding me…" she breathed, open-mouthed.

At the same moment, Flik was making his way to the tree to meet up with his love. He suddenly stumbled on a loose rock and tripped over, slightly bruising his knee.

"Owww…" he moaned, rubbing his knee. As he did, he looked up at the sky and noticed the dark clouds incoming. Slowly, he got to his feet and scanned the distance. As soon as he did he filled up with panic.

_No, not now…_Flik thought to himself. He started running back the way he came, yelling at other surprised ants to get to the anthill.

As this was happening, Atta and her mom were now in a state of panic. Atta immediately blew a whistle and gave her order to the colony.

"Everyone, make your way back into the anthill, quickly! This is _not, _I repeat, _not _a drill!"

Ants from all areas of the island heard the signal horn being blown and frantically left what they were doing, running back to the anthill. Atta and the council, minus Thorny who was at the boat site, motioned the panicked ants into an organised line as they ran back into the anthill.

In the distance, the clouds were very dark, and the flashes of lightning could be seen. The landscape in the distance was also blurred and grey, signalling the impending arrival of a rain shower.

* * *

Gasping with impending exhaustion, Flik sprinted as fast as his thin insect legs could take him, back to the boat construction site. Hearing the rumble of the storm clouds in the distance, he subconsciously told himself to carry on no matter how tired he was becoming.

Suddenly, he spied the scaffolding protruding from the distance. Immediately, he started yelling cries of "Rain's coming! Get out of here now!!!"

However, as he did this, Flik failed to keep track of his bearings, and felt himself trip over the edge of the slope leading down to the boat. The circus bugs, Acorn, Dot and Thorny watched in amazement as the panicked ant bumped and rolled down the slope, ending up with his face down in dirt.

"Flik!" exclaimed Dot, going to her stricken friend's side, "are you OK?"

"Never mind about me…" answered Flik, picking himself up, his voice very serious and panicky, "we all have to get out of here right now!"

"But why?" questioned Francis, "everythin' looks fine and dandy to me…"

Suddenly Gypsy looked up at the sky and realised the problem. "Um…Francis, maybe you should take back that last statement…"

At this, Francis also looked up. His mouth dropped open in shock.

"Ya know what?" he quipped, "I think I will…"

At once, the ants working on the boat flew into an uncontrollable panic and fled the construction site, scrambling up the slope. Flik, Dot and the circus bugs tried to motion them into an orderly line, but in vain. A couple of the ants slipped and fell down the slope, one hurting her leg quite badly.

"Help us," they hollered, and sure enough, Dim sprung into action. Tuck and Roll helped the two ants onto Dim's back, and then he took off and carried them back towards the anthill.

"OK, nice work," said Flik, "now let's get ourselves out of…"

He was cut off by the sound of water crashing down…giant drops of water. All of the bugs knew that by their small size they could easily be trapped in large, clear water droplets, and that prolonged exposure to water could be lethal.

"Come on!" shrilled Rosie, "let's go!"

The bugs scrambled up the slope, at the same time trying to dodge the lashing rainwater. They successfully got up to the top, only then did Flik notice that someone was missing.

"Where's Acorn?"

Flik's question was answered by a loud yell. To everyone's horror it was coming from the direction of the cliff edge, just next to the boat.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Rosie, "please don't tell me he's…"

"What are we gonna do?" shrilled Francis, "leave him here and he'll die, try and rescue and him and we'll all die!"

Flik suddenly leaped back down the slope, to the shock of the others, heading over to the cliff edge.

"Flik!" shrieked Dot, "come back!"

"Sorry, guys," replied Flik loudly, "I'm not letting anyone die on me! Go back to the anthill!"

"But Flik…" protested Dot, "you'll…"

"Just go!" said Flik louder still, "I'll be fine!"

The circus bugs reluctantly turned to leave, however Dot stood her ground. She wasn't about to see her best friend die.

Flik looked over the cliff edge. There was a branch protruding from the cliff face, and sure enough, hanging off it was Acorn, yelling in terror.

"Hang on, Acorn!" yelled Flik, "I'm coming to get you…"

Suddenly, a drop of water crashed onto Flik, causing him to lose his balance. Yelling, he tumbled off the edge of the cliff, crashing stomach side down onto the branch below.

"Flik!" cried Acorn in shock, "are you OK?"

"That wasn't quite how I wanted to get down here," quipped the inventor ant, "just hold on, I'll think of something…"

Suddenly, Flik heard a familiar, shrill voice. It was coming from the cliff above.

"Flik!"

Flik stood up, keeping his balance on the branch. "Dot! Go back! This is too dangerous!"

Dot remained defiant. "No, Flik! I'm not leaving without you and Acorn! I'm gonna come and fly you out of…AAAAGGGGHHH!!!"

The scream signalled that Dot too had been struck by a raindrop. She fell from the cliff edge towards the branch, trying to put her wings into action. She hit the branch, but slipped and fell again. However Flik caught her just before she fell to her death. Buzzing her wings, she climbed back onto the branch.

"Thanks, Flik!" Dot exclaimed, "now I'm gonna get you outta here…"

The circus bugs were still frantically dashing back to the anthill. It was then that they heard Dot's scream as she fell from the cliff edge.

Rosie gasped. "Oh no, not the Princess!"

"I'll go and help her!" said Gypsy suddenly, spreading her wings and flying off back in the direction of the cliff.

"Gypsy, no! Come back!" hollered Manny, giving chase, followed by the other bugs.

Gypsy reached the cliff in a matter of seconds, and immediately spotted Flik, Dot and Acorn on the branch. She also noticed that the gigantic dry earth canyon below was now flooded with water.

"Gypsy? Is that you?" called out Flik, catching sight of his moth friend.

"Hold on! I'm coming to get you!" cried out Gypsy, but before she could move, she too was suddenly struck by a raindrop. Crying out, she fell from mid-air, and to the horror of the ants, completely missed the branch and plunged into the river of rainwater below.

"No!" screamed Flik, "Gypsy!!!"

All of a sudden, the branch started to give way, unable to take the strain of the three ants. In vain, Dot buzzed her wings and tried to carry Flik to safety, but his weight was too much for her small body.

"It's no good," she said frantically, her voice becoming shaky, "we're gonna die!"

"Dot, Acorn, hold on to me…just hold on…" coaxed Flik, "don't let go…"

The terrified Princess clung onto Flik for dear life. Acorn managed to reach out a hand to grab Flik's left hand.

"Just hold on…"

Then, with the rains crashing down and a fierce gust of wind flaring up, the flimsy branch gave up its task of keeping the ants safe. The three ants yelled in horror as they plummeted through the air, crashing down into the water below, the remains of the branch following with them.

At that same moment, the circus bugs arrived at the scene, and immediately made their way to the cliff edge. Panic was written all over their faces.

"Flik!" called out Francis, "are you OK, buddy?"

"Look…" pointed out Slim, his mouth dropping open at where the branch had been, "they…they've…"

The group just stared at the scene, feeling utter disbelief. Had they really just lost their best friend and two other ants to the elements?

"The little Princess…" said Rosie in a small voice, "and that Acorn fella…"

Heimlich just shook his head. This didn't stop him eating a blade of grass for comfort.

Francis closed his eyes. He didn't want to believe this. Then he looked over at Manny, and noticed he was just standing there, motionless and speechless.

"Gypsy went to help them…" observed Slim, glancing at the cliff, then at Manny.

The elderly praying mantis' mouth just hung open, as he stared at the river below. _Why was she so reckless? It's not like her…_

"You OK…Manny?" Francis inquired, to be given the response of Manny buzzing his wings and flying off in the direction of the anthill.

"Oh man…" said Rosie forlornly, "we'd better get back…and deliver the news…"

Francis nodded. "What else can we do, Rosie…they need to know…"

With that, the circus group left the scene in a hurry, as the rains were still pouring down fast.

A leaf suddenly dislodged from a tree overlooking the cliff and floated down towards the flooded canyon.

* * *

Pacing up and down worriedly, Atta could only think about the love of her life. In all the panic of making the colony safe underground, she'd completely forgotten about the one ant that mattered to her most.

In the huge underground anthill chamber, the entire colony were gathered in their hundreds, forming a sea of blue, grey and pink. Some were also pacing around anxiously, some were just still, and others were talking about the situation. However, they were all organised very orderly, and relatively calm. They had been through this many times before, so they were more than prepared for such a situation.

"You OK, Your Highness?" inquired Thorny, returning from assisting with a headcount of the colony.

Atta sighed and closed her eyes. "We all have to be…"

Realising that his queen was covering up her feelings, Thorny tried to be reassuring. "Flik'll be OK, he's been through these rains as many times as we have…don't worry."

"I wish I could believe you," came Atta's reply. She stared at the entrance to the chamber forlornly, looking for any sign of a familiar blue ant, but finding none.

All of a sudden, Dr. Flora and Mr. Soil came running through the same entrance, exhausted and visibly panicked. Immediately Atta's first instinct was that they had bad news.

"What's wrong?" asked the queen, "where's Flik?"

"Oh, Your Highness…" came Soil's reply, a grave tone on his voice, "it's worse than we thought…it is a torrential monsoon outside! Parts of the island are flooded, and the canyon around the island has been completely flooded!"

Immediately gasps went up from the crowds of ants. Atta's face was a picture of disbelief, and immediately panic started to set in.

"The bugs at the boat site…" she questioned in impending dread, "are they…?"

"The circus bugs and the worker ants have just returned," explained Flora, "some of them took some battering from the rain, they're being treated as we speak…" At that point the doctor's face fell.

Atta's eyes widened in fear and instinct. "What? What is it, what's wrong? Tell me?"

Soil cleared his throat. He didn't want to say these words, but he knew he had no choice. "Three bugs are unaccounted for…"

Even more horrified gasps came from the colony crowd. Never before had any insects been lost in the rains, let alone the rains being so much more lethal than usual.

Atta, without a word, frantically exited the chamber, heading for the infirmary chamber, with the council members close behind. As she walked along the tunnel, the blue light shades from the walls reminded her of Flik.

_Please let him be there, please let him be OK…_

The queen entered the infirmary to be greeted by the sight of the circus bugs and the worker ant group. Three of the worker ants were lying on leaf beds, as were Slim and Rosie. They had sustained injuries after being hit by raindrops. Thankfully the injuries were only minor.

"Oh my…" exclaimed Atta softly.

At this point Atta's mother entered the infirmary, in a state of panic, knowing that Dot had been at the scene.

"Atta? Where's Dot?"

She'd done it again, forgotten about everyone else. Atta scanned the group, hoping to see a certain small pink ant. Suddenly she became flustered, realising her little sister was of the missing. Turning to her mother, she uttered those unwanted words.

"She's…not here…"

The elderly ex-queen gave a small gasp of shock, trying to find the right words to say, but finding nothing, just staring at her daughter, dumbstruck. She didn't want to believe that her youngest daughter had drowned out there in the cold, pouring rain.

Atta felt exactly the same. _Sis…_ Then she remembered about Flik again. She looked at the group of worker ants, desperately hoping that Flik would be among them. To her dismay he wasn't.

She went over to the circus bugs, and immediately noticed a significant absence.

"We're sorry, Your Highness…" came a small, quiet tone from Francis.

"We should have helped them…" lamented Heimlich.

"That Acorn," explained Rosie, giving a slight groan from her injury, "he went over the edge…Flik must've tried to help him…"

"…little Dot went back to help," continued Francis, "and then Gypsy did, too…"

Atta just went almost numb with the shock. The group didn't need to say anything else, she already guessed what had happened out there.

"It's…not your fault…" she stuttered, trying to hold back her tears. A crazy, but possible thought entered her mind suddenly.

"We have to go out and search for them. Right now."

Everyone in the infirmary immediately shot their gazes at Atta.

"Go out? In that monsoon?" spluttered Slim from his bed.

"I know it's desperate, and that there's a chance they're still alive out there," spoke Francis, "but it's 50/50, and if we go back out there we could end up missing too, or…"

"Don't…" interrupted Rosie, signalling for Francis to be quiet.

At this point, Manny, who had been silent for the entire time, exploded with rage. "Cowardice! Are we just going to sit here and let them die?"

"Calm down, Manny, we didn't say that…" coaxed Slim in vain.

"You didn't need to!" raged Manny, "I will not make your mistake!"

At that, the praying mantis suddenly buzzed his wings and flew out of the infirmary very quickly. Calling his name, some of the others tried to give chase, but as they got out of the infirmary they gave up, as Manny had already left the anthill.

"Let him go…" sighed Slim, "what can he do without Gypsy…"

Atta closed her eyes, thinking long and hard. She knew the dangers, and she didn't want to sit around helpless. She was the queen, and she knew that the colony came first, but she didn't want to be the one responsible for not finding the missing bugs. The one responsible for not searching for her love.

"I'm going after Manny," she announced.

Atta's mother stood by her daughter's side. "It's dangerous out there, and it's a darn crazy thing to do," she said, "but if Dot and Flik are alive out there, we've gotta make sure they stay that way. And staying here won't help. So I'm with you."

On hearing this, the other circus bugs instantly wanted to join in the search, even the stricken Slim and Rosie. Atta felt happy with the support, but she didn't want to put anyone else in danger.

"Thanks, guys," she acknowledged, "but I don't want to lose anyone else."

"Can you guys stay here and hold the fort?" Atta's mom asked of the circus bugs and the other council members.

"No problem," replied Francis, "but if you're not back anytime soon, we'll come lookin'!"

"Good luck, Your Highness," shrilled Flora.

"May the stars guide you on your way," quoted Soil.

"Thanks, everyone," replied Atta, giving a small smile, "and don't worry, we'll be back."

With that, Atta and her mother left the infirmary and headed towards the exit of the anthill.

_Sure, I could get killed out there,_ thought Atta to herself, _but if I can find them, it'll be worth it..._

Next chapter coming soon


	3. Cold, Cruel Night

_(A.N. Sorry, I should have mentioned this at the start, but I don't own A Bug's Life or any of its characters, they are all the property of Disney/Pixar. However the character Acorn is my own creation.)_

_**Chapter 3 -** **Cold, Cruel Night**_

_Wow, this feels…weird…_

_I'm walking…no, I'm floating on air…_

The sight that greeted Flik as he opened his eyes was that of a black, dark sky, with the rain still pouring down fast.

_Huh? What am I doing outside in this weather…_

Flik went to get up, but felt his legs floating. In shock he realised he was grabbing onto a piece of the branch that he'd fallen onto while trying to rescue Acorn, and he was waist deep in water. At that moment it all returned to his mind.

"Dot! Acorn!" he called out, looking round for his companions. The distinctive shrill tones of the young princess was the response.

"Flik? Flik!"

"Dot! I'm over here! Are you OK?"

Dot was laid down on the top of the branch to the far right of Flik. She carefully crawled over to her friend. Flik could see that she had suffered a slight bruise to her face.

"Oh, Dot…" he soothed.

"It's just a little bruise," replied Dot, "nothing serious…where's Acorn and Gypsy?"

Suddenly a groan went up from the other side of the branch. Immediately Flik and Dot realised it had to be Acorn. Hoisting himself out of the water, Flik climbed onto the branch, then he and Dot made their way over to where the groans were coming from.

"Oh man…"

Sure enough, it was Acorn. Of the three ants, he had clearly come off worse from the fall. He was flat on his back, one of his legs trailing in the water, and his body was quite bruised.

"Oh, poor Acorn," lamented Dot.

Acorn looked up at the duo, giving a cough. "It's no surprise…I'm nothing…but a…walking disaster area…why didn't…I get back…"

"This is _not _your fault," said Flik firmly, "this is just nature acting up. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

The wounded ant gave a deep sigh. "Then…why do I…feel so…guilty, Flik?"

Flik just looked at Acorn, knowing he couldn't answer that question. He just felt helpless, knowing that Acorn needed medical attention.

Suddenly, Dot looked across at the huge flow of water, and noticed a small round shape bobbing above the surface, being pushed down the river by the current. There were two antennae on the shape.

Dot gasped. "Gypsy!"

Flik whirled round and also noticed the moth being forced downstream.

"Oh my gosh! Gypsy! Can you hear me!"

There was no reply. Clearly the fall from above the cliff had knocked Gypsy into unconsciousness.

Out of the blue, Dot suddenly flew over to where Gypsy was, and desperately tried to lift her from out of the water.

"Dot! No!" yelled Flik, "what are you doing?"

The force of the fast-flowing water suddenly wrenched Gypsy from Dot's nimble grasp.

"No!" cried the princess in horror, watching helplessly as Gypsy was tossed and turned by the crashing river, getting swept out of sight.

Flik also watched in complete disbelief. He was rudely interrupted by a loud crash as the branch crashed into the top of a large, partly submerged rock, knocking him flat down on the branch.

"Flik! Acorn!" cried Dot as she flew over to the crashed branch, also dodging raindrops. Flik staggered to his feet with a groan, and surveyed where he had just crashed. To his joy, he found that just above the rock was an accessible ledge of land.

"Looks like we can get back to terra firma," he said to Dot.

"That's a relief…but what about Gypsy? I let her go…" replied the princess, full of remorse.

Flik knelt down beside Dot. "You tried to help her the best you could, Dot. It's not your fault. Besides, Gypsy may get washed ashore downstream…I hope…"

Dot nodded. "Same here…"

A groan came up from Acorn, which jolted Flik and Dot into action. Flik, with some difficulty, hoisted the stricken ant onto his shoulders and gradually climbed from the rock onto the ledge, while Dot flew up onto the ledge to keep everything in check.

"You OK, Acorn?" asked Flik of his friend.

Acorn blinked and groaned. "Never…mind me, I'm…OK…compared…to Mrs. Gypsy…"

A crash of water was heard as the wrecked branch was dislodged from the rock and broken in half. Flik and Dot watched the wreckage float downstream, then disappear under the water.

"Close call," quipped Flik. How he wished that he was safe and warm back at the anthill. How he wished he was in Atta's arms.

"The rains have only come down this bad once before," commented Dot, "and no-one's ever died through floods like this…"

Flik walked over to the princess and put a comforting arm round her shoulders.

"We'll find Gypsy…and we'll get out of this mess…don't worry…"

* * *

The torrents of rain continued to lash down as Atta and her mother flew above the soaked terrain, dodging the large drops of rain as they did. Below, puddles of water were forming in some deep areas of the ground, and any cracks in the previously dry terrain were now mini canyons full of water. 

"Last I heard, they were at the boat site," explained Atta to her mother.

"And they must've fallen from the cliff edge," acknowledged the ex-queen, "so maybe they're somewhere below…maybe they're fine."

"You don't know how much I want to believe that, Mom," responded Atta.

All of a sudden, the duo spied a silhouette in the distance. As they got closer, they realised that the shadow was that of the boat and its scaffolding, which had been slightly damaged from the rains. Touching down on the ground, Atta walked over to the cliff edge and carefully peered over.

"Oh no…" she uttered, seeing that what was normally a large canyon of dry cracked ground was now a fast-flowing river. Her mother also looked, then looked across at the boat.

"Come on!" she hollered, "we can use this to get down that river!"

"Are you sure?" questioned Atta, "it isn't totally finished…"

"It looks seaworthy to me," replied Atta's mom, "and we haven't got time for any other ideas! Come on!"

Reluctantly, Atta went to the back of the boat, and along with her mom, started to push the boat towards the cliff edge.

"Quick, jump in and hold on tight!" called out Atta's mom, as the boat was about to go over the edge. At once her daughter followed the order, and the pair held tightly onto the boat's edge as they were sent flying from the cliff edge. A few seconds later the boat crashed into the water below on its underside, floating on the surface perfectly.

"These waters are rough," observed Atta, "guess we'd better start paddling…"

At once, the pair picked up the boat's paddles, made from twigs and leaves, and started to row the boat down the rough waters. While they did this, they started to call out for Flik, Dot, Acorn and Gypsy, in the hope that they would hear them calling.

However, as Atta saw the flowing river, her hopes for the group to be safe started to fade.

_

* * *

Why didn't you stay back… _

Perched upon a tree branch, with damp leaves drooping around to shelter him from the rain, Manny stared at the black sky, feeling exhausted after searching the area around the cliff. He knew that his wife could be out there somewhere, and at the same time knew the possible alternative.

Rubbing away the tears from his eyes, the magician mantis decided to go and search the flooded canyon. He knew it would be perilous, but if Gypsy was alive out there somewhere, he had to do whatever it would take to rescue her. At the same time he also hoped that Flik, Acorn and the young princess were safe too.

_I'll find you…everything will be OK…_

Manny flew off into the rain drenched night.

* * *

Staring through the branches that covered the safe haven, Flik maintained his sight on the river below, and on the top of the other cliff across the relentless river. However his spirit was far from willing, he was fighting a losing battle to keep his eyes from closing through tiredness. 

He glanced over at his two companions, who had both already fallen asleep. A couple of leaves found were keeping them warm.

_Just sleep tight…_ thought Flik to himself, _then you'll wake up and everything will be OK…_

Suddenly, something caught his eye. A shadowy figure flying across the top of the other side of the river. _Maybe they've finally sent help…_

"Hello!" called out Flik, "we're over here! Please, help us!"

His cries were in vain. The roar of the flowing river drowned the cries out. Still, Flik wasn't about to give up that easily. Again he cried out for help, but still the silhouetted insect was unable to hear a word said. It was then that Flik squinted and realised who the insect was.

_Manny…he must be looking for…Gypsy…_

Flik gave a deep sigh, and giving in, sat down, watching Manny's shadow disappear from view. He then went and grabbed a leaf from one of the branches, and crawled under it, his thoughts full of Atta, who would in no doubt be worried sick.

_Don't worry Atta…I'll be OK…tomorrow I'll get out of this and get back to you…_

Flik slowly drifted off to sleep as the rainfall became less heavy, until it ceased to fall. The clouds parted to reveal the moon, shining a beam of light down on the shelter and illuminating the three sleeping ants.

* * *

The wild, flowing river tossed the wooden and leafed boat around in its grasp, the two queen ants struggling to keep control of the craft, while at the same time scanning the surrounding cliffs for signs of life. 

"Maybe we should turn back," hollered Atta's mom over the roar of the crashing water, straining with the weight of the oar.

"We have no choice," replied Atta, "I know they're alive out here, and if we don't find them soon…"

"I know," came the response, "but is it worth it if we end up getting ourselves killed?"

"I'm sorry Mom, but now isn't…" Atta was interrupted by a sudden jolt from the choppy waters which forced the boat to lean dangerously over to the left, sending the queen over to the other side of the boat. To make matters worse, she dropped her oar, which was swallowed up by the water.

"Atta! Hold on!" cried her mother, as she attempted to steer the boat through the rough torrent. Atta clung tightly onto the side of the boat, trying to pick herself up.

Suddenly, Atta's mom looked ahead and with horror saw a cluster of rocks. She desperately tried to steer the boat away from them, but with only one oar it was almost impossible. The two ants were knocked to the floor of the boat as it crashed into the rocks. Then the relentless current of water pushed the boat towards the cliff edge, towards another cluster of rocks. With a crash it was dragged onto the top of the rocks, tossing the two ants around like nut shells inside the boat. Then, in less than a second, the boat came to a halt, perched upon the cluster of rocks.

Atta and her mother lay inside the boat, unconscious.


	4. The Morning After

**Chapter 4 - The Morning After**

Pacing up and down in the glare of the morning sunlight, Mr. Soil displayed a look of clear anxiety upon his face. Himself, the rest of the ant council and the circus bugs had remained awake throughout the night, waiting for news.

"This is dreadful," he stressed to the others, "we should never have let the queen and her mother go to try and find them…"

"Maybe we should send a search party to look for them…" suggested Dr. Flora, with much disagreement from some of the group.

"Oh sure," replied Rosie, "and then we'll lose them too."

Francis voiced his agreement of Flora's idea. "Come on, it's daylight now, we have a better chance of finding them than we would in the dark."

"That's true," agreed Soil, "but the chances are that the rains, being much heavier than I have ever known, have flooded the canyon."

Thorny nodded. "There's also been some flood damage to the island. Nothing too bad, but it could affect our food supply."

"Thank goodness for underground food storage," commented Flora. "so, are we decided? Are we going to send out a search party or not?"

"Well we can't just sit here," replied Francis, "they could be lying out there hurt or worse…we gotta get moving!"

"Are you absolutely sure?" questioned Slim, "we could end up the same way…"

"Hey, if we can find them, it'll be worth it!" answered Francis, "so what are we waitin' for?"

The group leapt into action. Flora and Cornelius of the council remained behind to look after the colony, while the circus bugs, Soil and Thorny left the anthill and made their way towards the site where the boat had been previously.

_

* * *

Flik…Flik…where are you…_

All around Atta was darkness. Pure pitch-black darkness.

Suddenly, she looked into the distance. Squinting, she made out a shape. As soon as she saw the shape she instantly recognised who it was. A relieved smile formed on her face.

_Flik, you're OK…I knew you'd be OK…_

In her joy she quickly walked up to her one true love, reaching out her arms to grab him in a warm embrace. Atta held Flik as tight as she could, looking at his face.

_I love you, Flik…I don't ever want to leave you again…_

There was no reply from the kooky inventor ant.

_Flik? Speak to me, I 'm here, it's OK…_

The queen turned her head fully to the right to get a look at Flik's face. Her mouth dropped open in shock.

Instead of Flik's face being radiant blue, it was covered in dirt and was a more pale blue. His eyes were wide open and bloodshot, and there was a deep cut on the right side of his face. Even worse, he wasn't breathing.

Atta backed away slowly, trembling in fear. As she did, Flik slipped from her hold and slumped down onto the ground, lifeless.

The young queen covered her mouth in grief and shock, her eyes filling with tears.

_No…you can't be…no!_

She knelt down beside the lifeless Flik and started to cry the bitterest of tears. It was then that the darkness started to fade away into a bright light.

_Wake up, Atta…_

Atta felt her eyelids becoming heavy, and her strength ebbing away. The light got brighter as she too slumped down onto the floor beside Flik. The repeating voice got louder and louder.

_Atta! Please, wake up!_

Gradually, Atta's eyes opened up, the shadow of an ant's head peering down at her, sunlight surrounding the silhouette.

"Atta!"

With a groan, Atta recovered her bearings and fully opened her eyes to see that the silhouette head was her mother's head. Plus, the dark night had retreated, it was now a bright sunny morning.

"Mom…I saw Flik, he was…he was…"

Atta's mom closed her eyes. "Methinks you just had a bad dream, dear…"

"Oh Mom…" lamented Atta, giving her a hug, "it seemed so real…like I'd found him, but he was…"

The elderly former queen ant looked her daughter straight in the eyes. "It's OK…it was just a dream, Atta…they are out there somewhere…and you know what we're gonna do now?"

Atta hazarded a guess. "Get off this rock and find them."

"You guessed right," grinned her mom, "now just because we got run aground sure don't mean we can't carry on." As she spoke she surveyed the flooded canyon, which was now calm for the most part, for the rain from the night before had ceased to exist.

"I think the boat is still seaworthy," observed Atta, "so we'd better leave it here and remember where it is…just in case."

"Just in case," echoed Atta's mom, "let's just hope that it'll be bringing five more bugs back home…"

Then, the two queen ants started to clamber up the cliff face which towered over the rocks that the boat had crashed on to. As they climbed, both ants repeatedly hollered for the missing insects.

_Please be OK, Flik…I can't live without you…_

_

* * *

Atta…Atta…_

Flik's eyes shot open and he leapt out from under his leaf, looking around for his love. It didn't take long for him to figure out that he'd just dreamed Atta being there with him. Once he realised that, his face fell.

Suddenly, he remembered where he was, the latest predicament he'd gotten himself into. Shielding his eyes from the bright glare of the sun, he walked over to where the sleeping Dot and Acorn were.

"Dot…" whispered Flik, tapping his young princess friend on the shoulder, "Dot, wale up, it's morning…"

Dot slowly opened her eyes, giving a yawn and getting to her feet.

"Flik…am I dreaming? Are we really stuck on a cliff miles from home?" she questioned, wanting the whole scenario to be a figment of her imagination.

Flik reluctantly nodded his head. "Sorry, Dot…you don't know how much I wish it was a bad dream too."

Dot sighed. "At least it's morning now…maybe we'll be able to get home now…is Acorn awake?"

"I'll check," replied Flik, walking over to where his wounded friend was sleeping, except Acorn wasn't asleep, he was wide-eyed and shaking.

Flik was aghast. "Acorn…please don't tell me you didn't get a single wink of sleep…"

Looking up at the inventor ant, Acorn struggled to get the words out of his mouth. "I'm sorry…Flik…the…the pain was…too much…"

Instantly Flik realised that Acorn's injuries had intensified through the night due to the bitter cold. He rebuked himself for not making sure that Acorn hadn't been susceptible to the cold.

Dot, seeing that Acorn was in almost unbearable pain, flew up into one of the branches covering the ants' shelter, scouring for some food, any kind of food. Presently, she found a solitary berry hanging on the end of one of the branches, and flew back down to Flik and Acorn, clutching her prize.

"Look what I found!" Dot exclaimed to the others.

"Way to go, Dot!" beamed Flik, "I guess we could split it into three pieces…but I would really say that Acorn needs this more than we do…"

Acorn sighed. "There's…no need…really…"

Before Flik or Dot could protest, sickening crack suddenly rang out from above. The three ants instantly looked up and saw that one of the branches was giving away.

"Oh my gosh…" cried Flik, "look out!"

He pushed Dot out of the way as the branch crashed down onto the ants' safe haven, throwing up a cloud of dust. Flik and Dot picked themselves up, coughing because of the dust.

"Oh no…" said Dot in horror, "Acorn…is he OK?"

"Acorn!" yelled Flik as the cloud if dust began to clear away, "are you OK, buddy?"

No response.

Flik and Dot rushed back to where Acorn had been lying before. The branch which had just crashed down was laid right across the small ledge. To Flik and Dot's shock, it had almost crushed Acorn.

"Acorn!" cried Flik, kneeing down by his friend's side, "speak to me! Please!"

No use. Pieces of bark which had fallen from the branch had hit Acorn on the head, knocking him unconscious.

Flik was almost beside himself with panic. "What are we gonna do? If we can't get help for Acorn soon, he'll die!"

"Calm down, Flik!" coaxed Dot, "it'll be OK!"

"I wish I could believe you…" groaned Flik mournfully, "it's my fault we're in this mess…"

Dot frowned. "That's not true! Acorn was in trouble, you couldn't just leave him there. I couldn't have!"

She gave her friend a hard stare. "Listen, we're gonna get out of this. Don't give up hope, Flik…"

Flik looked back. "I'm trying my level best not to, Dot. In fact…I have a crazy idea…it's crazy, but it's all my brainbox can come up with right now."

"OK, fire away," replied Dot, "if it'll get us out of here, then I don't care how crazy it is."

"You're not gonna like this Dot…" came Flik's response, "I want you to stay here and look after Acorn. I'm gonna go look for help…and try to find Gypsy too…"

"What?" replied Dot with disdain, "Flik, there's still water down there, you could get hurt!"

"One of us has to try, Dot…I wish I didn't have to leave you and Acorn alone, but I have no choice…" said Flik adamantly, "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me, just worry about Acorn. Keep him warm." Flik then went to climb down from the ledge.

"Flik!" called Dot after him, "please come back safe!"

Looking up at Dot, Flik quickly reassured her. "Don't worry, Dot, I'm not about to die yet."

With that, he climbed down the ledge, with Dot watching him with a worried expression on her face.

* * *

The brightness of the morning sun glared in Manny's eyes as he sat upon a rock festooning from the edge of the flooded canyon. The night's relentless searching had taken its toll on him, and he was clearly distraught.

_Why…why did this happen to you, my love…_

Burying his face in his hands, Manny emptied his soul, tears pouring from his large eyes. He slowly looked up at the sun-filled sky as if to cry to the heavens.

"Manny?"

The faint calls rang through the air, registering instantly with the praying mantis' senses. He slowly turned his head, trying to find which direction the calls were coming from.

"Gypsy…is that…you?"

As the voice got closer, Manny's hopes soon sank again once he heard that the voice was that of the male variety. But he knew the voice.

"Manny, it's me, Flik!"

Manny stood up to greet the arrival of his ant friend. In his grief he had completely forgotten that Flik was also in dire straits.

"Flik, dear fellow! Are you alright?"

"Never mind me," replied Flik with urgency, "what about you?"

Manny sighed. "I have been searching for her all through the night…I fear for her, Flik…good heavens, what of Princess Dot and that Acorn fellow? They are safe, I presume?"

"Yeah," replied Flik, "but Acorn is in a bad way, he needs medical attention and fast. And I really didn't want to leave Dot back there…"

"I already deduced that…" acknowledged Manny, his thought shifting back to his missing wife.

Realising Manny was worried sick, Flik jumped to another rash decision.

"She's here somewhere, Manny…hopefully alive. I'll help you find her."

Manny gave a slight smile, but his tone was doubtful. "Oh, thank you, Flik…but I can do this by myself. You should go back to the others…"

"I'm not leaving you till we find her," said Flik firmly.

Nodding in agreement, Manny and Flik then climbed down from the rock and set off along the edge of the river, beginning their search.

* * *

Gasping for breath, Atta perched herself against a branch. It wasn't just the heat or the mammoth trek that was getting to her or her mother. Flik, Dot and Acorn were still nowhere to be found.

"I'm bushed," quipped Atta's mom, wiping sweat from her face, "but if anything, we got some serious exercise."

Atta just stared at the sky, not taking in her mother's talk. "They're gone…"

Atta's mother's tone changed to serious at once. "Don't go down that road, dear. They are here. We have to be strong."

"I know…" replied Atta, a lump forming in her throat, turning her head to face her mother, "but we also have to consider the alternative…"  
The elderly former queen put her arms round her daughter's shoulders in comfort. "That's too true…but until we find them we have to keep an open mind about this. We can't lose heart now."

Atta looked up at her mother. She remembered how her mom used to talk with her like this when she was just as tiny as Dot.

"I know you're right, Mom…thanks…"

Atta hugged her mom tightly, the way they used to hug. It was as they were hugging that Atta spotted something through the corner of her eye.

"Mom! Look!" cried Atta in excitement, pointing her finger at what she could see. Atta's mom let go her hug then looked around.

What they could see was Flik's 'shelter', festooned with the fallen branches, and just visible were two distinctive figures, one grey, one pink.

"Gosh almighty, it must be…" exclaimed Atta's mom, "what are we waitin' for? Let's get down there!"

As fast as they could, the two queen ants scampered down from the branch across the pebbled river bank. They eventually reached the rock where Dot and Acorn were.

"Dot!" called out the elder ant, with relief. At once her younger daughter, her face a picture of glee, ran over to the two and hugged her mother.

"Oh Dot…thank goodness you're safe," said the ex-queen softly to Dot, hugging her tightly.

"It's OK, Mom…" replied her youngest kin, "I'm fine…"

Atta, meanwhile, was also relieved that her sister was safe, but was alarmed to see that Flik was nowhere to be seen. Then she remembered about Acorn, and went over to him.

"Oh…Your Majesty…" croaked the stricken insect.

"Now's not a time for fancy titles," replied Atta, "you're in a bad way, try to save your strength…"

Acorn gave Atta a knowing stare. "Flik…went to look for help…"

"He did? Oh, why didn't he just wait…" responded Atta with disdain, "he could be miles away now…"

"He said he was gonna find Mrs. Gypsy, too," chimed in Dot, "and she must be down there somewhere. He'll be OK, don't worry…"

"I hope you're right," replied Atta. It was then that she heard a sound which chilled her blood. A sharp chirping sound.

"Did you hear that?" she asked the others gingerly.

"Hear what?" replied her mother. Then she heard it too. That same chirp.

Dot looked around, feeling very unnerved. She couldn't see anything that was making that sound.

Suddenly there was a flash of red at the front of the shelter facing down onto the canyon. The chirping sound came fast and furious.

Realising what that flash was, Dot gave a loud scream and ran over to the branches to hide. Her mother and sister followed suit.

"Of all the rotten luck…" quipped Atta under her breath.

"I totally forgot about the birds who crash around here," groaned her mother, watching as the bird flew around their shelter, getting ready to make another sweep upon them.

A panicked Acorn tried to move away from where he was laid, but his wounds had sapped his strength. He only managed to crawl a short way before collapsing to the ground.

"Oh no," cried Dot, "if we don't move Acorn quick, he'll be bird breakfast!"

Suddenly, the bird flew in for another swoop, chirping furiously. As it flew past, the force of the wind from its feathers knocked Dot from her hiding place.

"Dot!" came her mother's cry. Her instincts kicked in and she foolishly ran out from behind the branch to her daughter's aid.

"Mom, what are you doing!" screamed Atta in horror, also rushing out from her hiding place over to her mom and sister.

Suddenly the bird made another swoop. Acorn looked up, his eyes wide.

"Get back! It's coming again…" he yelled weakly.

Too late. As Atta, her mom and Dot made for their hiding place, the bird came in very low and struck Atta with one of its talons. With a scream, Atta fell to the ground, a sharp pain ripping through her back.

"Oh my…" cried her mother, "Atta!"

Atta looked up at her mother, grimacing in pain. "Stay there…don't get…hurt…"

"But that bird'll get you!" shrieked Dot hysterically, "please, let us help, sis!"

Another furious squawk sounded from the bird as it came in for another sweep, and this time it was determined to grab one of the ants.

"Get down!" screamed Acorn, covering his face. The elderly queen ant and her daughter ducked behind the branch as the bird flew in.

Dot momentarily looked up from her hiding place. What she saw shocked her straight to the core.

"Noooooo!"

The bird came in low and struck Atta again, this time hoisting the wounded queen onto its talons, and carrying her into the air. Atta gave a loud cry of pain and for help. Then, as the bird sailed back above the shelter, Atta gave a struggle and managed to free herself from the bird's talons. However, she was unable to keep her grip on the talons, and with a scream, slipped and fell from the bird…

The three ants back down on the ground could only watch helplessly as their queen plummeted from the sky.

"Noooo! Atta!"


	5. Only Time Will Tell

**Chapter 5 -**

_Thud!_

Flik grimaced in slight painas he slipped over on a wet rock. Manny was quick to help his friend to his feet.

"Thanks," acknowledged Flik, dusting himself off, then looking around.

Manny did the same, however tiredness was kicking in, and his spirit was close to breaking point.

"Maybe…this is it…" he spoke, mournfully, "maybe I'm never…going to see my beautiful wife…again…"

Horrified, Flik put his hands on Manny's shoulders and gave him a hard, determining stare.

"This isn't the Mantos the Magnificent I know…the last time I checked, you didn't give up so easily."

Manny stared back, his eyes glassy with tears. "Remember when…the grasshoppers had taken over Ant Island? When you had been exiled? You had all but thrown in the towel…"

"That was because I was telling myself," explained Flik adamantly, "telling myself that I couldn't do anything, and believing it. I was wrong though."

Manny hung his head, desperately trying to fight the tears. Flik stared even harder, sensing that Manny was ready to give in.

"Look at me," he coaxed, firmly but reassuringly, "you can't jump to conclusions. There is only one way to know whether Gypsy is alive or dead. If we don't find her, we'll never know. And you and I both know that she can't have vanished from the face of the earth."

Gingerly, Manny looked up at Flik, wiping tears from his eyes.

Flik hit it straight home. "She is here, Manny. And we will find her."

"You don't know how much I want to believe that, Flik…" Manny said slowly, almost as a whisper.

"Then believe it," replied Flik, "keep telling it to yourself in your heart. You've gotta keep that hope alive."

"Flik…thank you," praised Manny, giving his ant friend a hug, "if you hadn't come along I fear I may have given up…"

"No problem, Manny," replied Flik, giving a trusting smile, "now please, let's keep looking."

"Oh, absolutely," agreed Manny instantly, as the two resumed their trek, still repeatedly calling out Gypsy's name.

Presently, Flik and Manny came across another large branch protruding from the cliff face. To get a better view of the surrounding area, Flik hopped onto the branch and walked across its entire length, right to the end.

"Anything?" inquired Manny, who had flown into the air to get the same view.

Flik shook his head. "No, I can't see…anything…"

His voice suddenly trailed off, his focus suddenly diverted to a clump of grass stalks sticking out from the water.

_Is that…_

Flik squinted. He had to be sure. His eyes immediately widened.

"Manny!" he yelled excitedly, "I've found her!"

As soon as the words left Flik's mouth, Manny whirled round and flew over to his friend.

"You have?" spluttered the mantis magician, "where? Where is she?"

"She's down there!" replied Flik, pointing to where Gypsy apparently was, "come on! She could be in a bad way…"

"You are stating the obvious, Flik," quipped Manny, flying down towards the place, with Flik in hot pursuit. Flik almost tripped over as he ran down the slope towards the stalks.

Tentatively, Manny touched down and stepped over to the giant stalks. Nausea entered his stomach as he walked over. Festooned between the stalks, floating on the surface of the water, was the unmistakable shape of his wife.

As soon as the elderly mantis saw his beautiful butterfly wife in such a dreadful state, he flew into a state of despair, immediately trying to pull her from the water.

"Oh, Flik…please, help me get her out," Manny commanded of his friend. Without any hesitation, Flik came to Manny's aid. The pair carefully lifted Gypsy from the water by her shoulders, and then laid her down on dry land.

Manny knelt down by his wife's side. She looked lifeless, and her normally flourishing skin and wings were now darkened. Her eyes were closed tightly, and there was a blood-red gash across her chest.

"Gypsy…please, wake up…" pleaded Manny softly, his voice breaking with emotion, "I'm here…it's Manny…please…say your name…"

Flik also joined Manny by Gypsy's side, looking in shock at the wounded, unconscious butterfly.

No response from Gypsy. Manny clutched his wife's hand as tight as he could, the tears beginning to pour from his eyes. He didn't want to give in so easily.

Flik gave a knowing glance at his friend. "Manny…"

The stare was returned by Manny, still holding his wife's hand. He just shook his head, then looked back at Gypsy. He leant over and placed a kiss upon his wife's lips.

"I always loved you…I always will…I'll never…forget you…"

Manny then broke into uncontrollable sobs, placing Gypsy's hands on his cheek, just so he could remember her sweet touch. Flik came to his friend's side, giving him his shoulder to cry on.

"She'll never be forgotten, Manny…" he coaxed, himself fighting back tears, "never…"

It was then that Manny felt a movement. He suddenly looked at Gypsy's hands. They were shaking. A feeling of euphoria and concern entered him.

"My darling…oh, my darling, you're alive!"

Flik then noticed Gypsy's face. Her eyelids suddenly struggled open, followed by a weak groan.

"M…Manny…?"

At once her husband whirled round, a relieved smile spreading across his face.

"Oh, Gypsy…my love…I feared the worst…thank the heavens…"

"Manny…" replied Gypsy weakly, "all the time…I was out there…in that water…I thought about you…I knew you would…look…for me…"

"Please…rest your voice…you need your strength…"

"I'll be OK, Manny…don't worry…I never want…to leave your side again…"

Manny nuzzled his face against his wife's. "As I do not either…"

Standing over them, Flik also gave a relieved smile. Gypsy had not realised that Flik was also there. As soon as she saw him, she remembered why she had gotten into this mess in the first place.

"Flik…oh, no…where is…Princess Dot…is she…alright?"

"She's in a safe place," replied Flik, "and I think we should get you to that place right now."

"I…second that motion…" quipped Gypsy weakly, "can you carry me, dear?"

"Anything to get you safe, darling," replied Manny, carefully lifting his wife up by the torso, then buzzing his wings and flying into the air, holding onto Gypsy tightly as he did.

"OK guys," commanded Flik, "I'll take point. Just keep your eyes on me."

Gypsy and Manny both nodded, then Flik started making his way back the way that he and Manny had come, with Manny and Gypsy following him from above.

Little did they realise that time was not on their side…

* * *

The bird had momentarily disappeared, probably to see to its offspring or to seek out food elsewhere, but there was no doubt in the terrified ants' minds that it would be back for more.

Right now, their attention was focused on the fact that Atta was lying on the rocks below the ledge after her nasty tumble. Her mother was struggling to keep her wits together, hysteria creeping in.

"I have to go down there…" she babbled, "Atta could be hurt…she could be…"

Her younger daughter quickly reassured her. "You can't go down there, Mom. That bird could come back…"

"But your sister…what if she…?"

"I know…" said Dot, slight panic in her voice, "but I don't want you to be bird breakfast either. That's why…I'm gonna go and get her."

Dot's mother quickly disagreed. "No, Dot! It's too dangerous! I don't want to watch both of my daughters die! If that bird has to get one of us, I'd rather it be me!"

That last remark horrified the young princess. "No Mom! I don't want to see you die either! I'm going to get her!"

With that, Dot suddenly tore away from her mother and ran towards the edge of the shelter. Her mother gave chase, but in vain.

"Dot! No!"

The stricken Acorn, who had managed to crawl behind the fallen branch, was also shocked to see the princess run off down towards where Atta lay.

Dot's mother could only watch in disbelief and repeatedly call for her daughter to return. Dot ignored her mother's pleas, yet she was deeply petrified inside, knowing that she could be in the path of the bird at any second.

Scanning the area, she soon caught sight of where her sister lay, perched upon a rock just on the edge of the water.

"Atta! Atta, are you OK?" called out Dot, running over to her sister. Atta was actually still conscious, but her body was badly bruised, and she seemed unable to move.

"Dot…go back…the bird…" protested the ant queen, still trying to move from the rock.

"No, I'm not leaving you here," replied Dot, persistent as ever. It was then that a horrified yell was heard from the shelter.

"Dot! Atta! The bird!"

The two ants looked up and both gave a loud scream as the bird returned, flapping its wings furiously and nosediving towards them. In a flash, Dot pulled Atta down behind the rock as the bird swept past.

The two girls' mother was now beside herself with panic. All she could do was watch as her daughters tried to dodge the bird. Part of her wanted to go down there and help them, but she was simply frozen with fear.

Gingerly, Dot peeked out from behind the rock, checking the sky for the winged nemesis. Seeing that once again it had disappeared, the young princess motioned for her sister to follow her back out into the open. Atta finally managed to summon up the strength to crawl from behind the hiding place, her face grimaced with pain.

It was at that moment that Dot gave another scream as the bird returned to view, spying the two ants and making another nosedive for them. Dot quickly rushed back behind the rock, then looked in horror as she saw that her sister had collapsed with the pain, and was now exposed to the bird.

"Atta! Nooo!" cried Dot as the bird swooped in for the kill.

The wounded queen turned her gaze towards the sky, her eyes widening as she saw the bird swooping down. She tried to get up to crawl again, but the pain from her injuries was just too much. Preparing for the worst, the ant queen closed her eyes.

_Flik…don't ever forget my love…_

Suddenly, the bird gave a loud squawk. This had to be the signal.

The beating of the bird's wings was heard, but it sounded as if the bird was flying away.

Atta slowly opened her eyes, then looked up again to see, with relief, that the bird had indeed suddenly flown away. Then a rock suddenly hit the ground not too far from Atta.

"Atta! Look!"

At Dot's sudden cry of excitement, Atta looked round to see that a few feet above the hiding place rock was Manny, carrying Gypsy.

"Your Majesty! Dot!" he called out, "are you both OK?"

A weak smile spread to Atta's face. "We've had better days…thanks for that little diversion…"

"Is Gypsy OK? And what about Flik?" inquired Dot hurriedly.

"Gypsy will be fine," replied Manny, at which point his wife gave a small wave to Dot and Atta to prove it, "and Flik has gone to attend to your mother and Mr. Acorn."

Dot gave a sigh of relief. "We'd better get back up there."

At once the four insects made their way back over to the shelter, Dot helping Atta along by lifting her by the shoulder. Immediately Dot called out for her inventor ant friend.

"Flik! Are you there?"

Straight away, Flik, who was at that moment doing his best to tend to Acorn, heard the calls and rushed to the edge of the shelter.

"I'm here, Dot! I'm glad you're OK…how is she…?"

"Sis is fine, Flik! Don't worry!"

Flik sighed with relief. He glanced back at Acorn and the elderly queen ant.

"Will you two be OK?" he quickly asked.

Atta's mother already guessed the reason for Flik's sudden rush. "We'll be fine, Flik. Please, go and see how Atta is…"

"I…second that…"quipped Acorn.

"Thanks," replied Flik with a smile, then he rushed down from the shelter to the ant queen's side. When he saw that Atta was hurt, his face fell.

"Oh Atta…"

The queen, now laid on her back on the ground, glanced at her love, giving a stare…one of those reassuring stares.

Flik opened his mouth to say something, but he knew that stare, and acknowledged it, a smile forming on his face. He knew that he didn't have to say anything else.


	6. Homecoming

**Chapter 6 - Homecoming**

_(Apologies for the delay in getting this up, things have been happening the past few months, and this fic went right on the backburner...)_

Sitting in the gigantic shadow of the tree dwarfing the anthill, a chilling silence had descended upon the ant council and the circus bugs.

Too much time had passed. They had drawn a blank on their search for their missing friends. Sure, the rain was no longer a hinderance, but perhaps it was simply too late…

The faces of the ants and the circus bugs were that of knowingness and sadness. No-one felt any confidence to speak, to break the doomy silence.

Francis paced around slowly, scanning the entire island with his eyes, hoping to see some movement, some sign that his friends were OK. His hope, was, however, fading fast.

Finally one of the others spoke. "It's over…they're gone…"

The utter came from Rosie's mouth. Tuck and Roll, residing on Dim's back, sadly nodded in unison to confirm their fears.

The ant council just stood, motionless, trying to come to terms with the events. Dr. Flora was inconsolable, being offered a shoulder to cry on by the kindly Mr. Soil. He too was struggling to contain his emotions.

"This is the worst day in the history of this colony…" murmured Cornelius softly, "perhaps…even worse than when the grasshoppers came…"

Up until that point, a cloud had been covering over the glare of the sun. Suddenly, the cloud moved away, revealing the shining sun's rays.

Slim and Heimlich were also gazing into the distance. The stick insect suddenly squinted and let out a loud gasp.

"Everyone!" he shrilled, "they're alive!"

On hearing this, the other insects hurriedly rushed over to where Slim and Heimlich were standing. Their faces instantly lit up like the glow of fireflies.

"It must be…it simply _must _be…" chimed Cornelius as the whole group started running towards the familiar silhouettes in the distance.

The next moment was just a scene of total relief and joy as Flik, Atta, her mother, her sister Dot, Manny and Gypsy were reunited with their friends.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The azure glow of the mushrooms illuminated Flik's face as he stood at the entrance to the anthill, watching the setting sun bidding farewell to the day. His mouth had morphed into a satisfied, relieved smile.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

The dulcet tones of a certain ant queen's voice prompted Flik to slowly motion round to face her. Both their faces instantly beamed.

"Yeah…" he replied softly, "it is…but there's one thing that will make it breathtaking…and priceless…"

Holding that last word, he gazed lovingly into Atta's eyes. Instinctively, she knew what he meant, and with a smile, the young queen put her arm round Flik's shoulders. Then, bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun, they kissed, before watching the skies make their slow journey into the still of the night.

THE END


End file.
